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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Loaf Recipe

IT'S LENTIL-ICIOUS

A few weeks ago I was at the BlissDom Canada conference, and one of the lunches was sponsored by Canadian Lentils. I feel that lentils do not get the attention that they deserve. They don’t have the sexiest reputation; you say lentils and people conjure up images of macramé owls and orange wallpaper and some kind of vile concoction bubbling on the goldenrod coloured stove in the corner. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY.

Lentils can be prepared in so many different delicious ways, they are extraordinarily healthy, and they are incredibly inexpensive. One of the speakers at the conference was one of my favourite people, Julie van Rosendaal, who wrote an entire book on beans and lentils called Spilling the Beans. I highly recommend it.

I’ve adapted one of the recipes from that book; pumpkin chocolate chip loaf. I’ve made it vegan, and it is truly delicious, moist, and flavourful. I love making pumpkin recipes in the fall, and this one is a winner. My children love to take thick slices of this to school, it’s a perfect snack! This recipe makes two loaves; it freezes well, or you could share the love and take a loaf to a friend or neighbour. Make friends and influence people via lentil-enriched snack loaf.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dry red lentils

3 tablespoons ground flax

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

1/2 cup almond milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

14 ounce (398 mL) can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Put the lentils and 2 cups of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes; lentils should be very soft. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of ground flax and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar to the 1/2 cup of almond milk. Set aside.

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Nicole loves food! She loves cooking, baking, grocery shopping, and just wearing her apron that sports a cupcake motif. For the most part she avoids processed and packaged foods and loves to create recipes based on her craving-of-the-day. Nicole is a longtime vegetarian (sometimes vegan) who lives in Calgary with her husband, two sons, and a male dog. Her testosterone-infused house is one full of meat-lovers, and she ties on that cupcake apron to incorporate her family’s love of meat into her own meatless meals. Vegetarian and vegan meals can be simple and delicious — and can easily be adapted for those who are on Team Carnivore.

Join Nicole as she divulges tips and tricks for creating meals, snacks, and desserts that appeal to the whole family, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.